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#The-Book-of-Dragons
HC SVNT DRACONES

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Submitted: December 12, 2010
Image Size: 342 KB
Resolution: 1100×733

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Comments: 57
Favourites: 783 [who?]
Views: 13,033 (1 today)

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Keeper of Cascade WIPby *samburley

Digital Art / Drawings / Fantasy

© Sam Burley - Do not use without permission

Check out my website [link], blog [link] or facebook [link] for more!

Feel free to email me at sam@samburleystudio.com - Don't send notes here on DA because I tend to miss them.
If you're interested in prints, check my site Contact page for rates and send me an email, or browse BFA: [link]

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The Artist has requested Critique on this Artwork

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~Draconigenae666 Nov 12, 2011

that would have been... a lot of work ;_; I don't think many people would have the patience to draw something twice

~exocolumn Oct 22, 2011

Great work!

~TFSakon Sep 18, 2011

Brilliant and very majestic, yet still not too austere.

~DSil Sep 1, 2011 Student General Artist

The sinuous contour of the dragon's body is great, and the simple shading very effective in defining the forms. The drawing has a lot of life to it.

~jogy-d Aug 21, 2011 Student Digital Artist

wow

*KatePfeilschiefter Aug 7, 2011 Professional Digital Artist

Only critique I can summon up pertains to anatomical plausibility, though I mainly mention it because of your recent journal. These things are minor though and I understand if you decide to ignore them for reasons of composition and stylized exaggeration, (loopy tails are fun afterall). For a flying creature, the tail is too long and ropey, realistically, this would be a burden by causing drag. A shorter, stiff, rudder-like tail would be more appropriate. Though if you want a wyvern with a long body, its believability would be helped by lengthening the width of the wing membrane. Instead of having it attach before the hindleg, bring it down further passed them to increase the wing surface and provide more support for the dragons back. Or bring the membrane down to attach on the hindlegs, like a pterosaur or bat, and provide support that way. A lot of pro artists draw dragons in horizontal poses like this that would be impossible to maintain for the creature because of how little span they give the wing membrane.

*samburley Aug 7, 2011

All very good points and certainly well thought out. I'm quite aware of the issues with the tail

(see below) and you're right that one was a big style/composition choice.

I did think about bringing the membrane into the hindleg originally, but that created some compositional issues again. I decided to go with something more like a flipper as a nod to cetacean physiology in the end, but you're right again that he probably couldn't maintain flight like this.

But thanks for the analysis, I do appreciate it and you clearly know stuff.

*KatePfeilschiefter Aug 7, 2011 Professional Digital Artist

Thanks so much, that means a lot to me coming from you. And I cant wait to see the final version of this, it's shaping up great so far.

Do you mind if I ask a question about your painting process? I never know how to start a painting, whether I go on with straight colour or start out in greyscale like this. Is greyscale your preferred way of starting a painting? And how do you colorize it later?

~talliesynn Aug 7, 2011 Student Digital Artist

This is quite striking already, even though it is only a WIP. I can't wait to see the finished product.

I would've wrote up a fancy critique, but I really don't have much to say.

The only thing I could suggest is changing the dragon's tail.
It's unnaturally long right now. I believe dragons would use their tails for balance and in this case the tail should be no longer then the dragon's body.
If you take a look at reptiles their tails are usually the same length as their bodies and if you changed that in this picture it would just make it that more realistic.

*samburley Aug 7, 2011

You're absolutely right. It's funny, the tail definitely seems to be the subject of highest controversy with this - people either love it or hate it.

Honestly, I made a conscious decision NOT to make the tail anatomically correct for a couple reasons, mostly composition. It's hard to say whether it was a good decision or not yet, but hopefully it'll look good in the end

Thanks for the input!

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